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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23195644">give me a reason to be</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurdelilitu/pseuds/happyhouse'>happyhouse (fleurdelilitu)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>softly they fall, without whimper or roar [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Best Friends, Coming Out, F/F, Lesbian Ginny Weasley, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Queer Themes, Revelations, everything is gay and nothing hurts, in which I pretend J. K. Rowling doesn't exist and contribute work to the queer HP agenda, like 10 years prior to the relationship, rated for like one or two teensy swears, these babies are in for the long haul, yearning is just lesbian for pining lbr, yearning without any self awareness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 06:46:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,467</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23195644</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurdelilitu/pseuds/happyhouse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginny comes out. Luna doesn't really get what "coming out" means.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Luna Lovegood &amp; Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>softly they fall, without whimper or roar [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1789405</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>give me a reason to be</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ginny turns up at Luna’s house at 6am on a Thursday morning in the middle of July. Luna’s in the front yard and doesn’t turn around, doesn’t even give her a second glance. Just keeps watering the plants.</p><p>“Hello Ginevra. Give me a minute and I’ll pop on the coffee.”</p><p>Ginny scowls and shifts on her feet uneasily. She’s not perturbed by the fact that Luna knew it was her without even turning to check, despite the fact she hasn’t visited in months. Luna tends to just know things uncannily, and it’s not worth asking how because the answer is bound to be obtuse. It’s more that Luna’s crop top and denim jeans combo is revealing fine blonde hairs on the small of the back that glisten in the morning sun. Ginny has a sudden urge to trace her hands over the golden skin and flat brown moles that form a constellation across her friend’s spine and waist. It makes her uncomfortable. She turns on her heel and starts down the backdoor path that leads to Luna’s kitchen. Luna just keeps watering, doesn’t seem to miss a beat.</p><p>When Luna eventually comes inside, Ginny is running her calloused forefinger along the fine wood grain of the kitchen table, just to keep herself busy. Luna assesses her with those big, pale eyes, before turning to the cupboard to fish out the stove-top espresso.</p><p>“The reason I broke up with Harry last summer,” Ginny starts abruptly, “I think I’m a lesbian.”</p><p>Luna doesn’t turn around. Unscrews the espresso. Takes it to the sink. Fills it with water. Measures out the coffee grounds. Taps it for good measure, then screws it all back together. Once the stove is lit and the coffee on the brew, Luna finally turns to face her.</p><p>Despite the sudden feeling of anticipation that seems to thread through her entire body, Ginny feels lighter just for having said the words. She stands up and pulls out two coffee cups from the cupboard by the sink. Luna is watching her movements and Ginny feels herself flush under the appraisal.</p><p>“Think, or know?” Luna asks. Ginny feels irritation and relief flood her in equal measure. It’s not that she thought Luna would care, or be a bigot, or any of that. It’s just that Luna’s opinion means a lot to her. She knows, intellectually, that Luna is the last person to judge someone for who they love. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t scared anyway. On the flip side, the question makes her feel like Luna is treating it flippantly. Like the gravity of the revelation is just being brushed aside.</p><p>“Know! I know, I know that I’m a lesbian. I’ve been spending time with the girls on the team, and I’ve been… seeing… someone.” Ginny touches her newly short hair self consciously and tries not to wince at her chosen description of her relationship with her team mate, which honestly just consists of fucking and her being given shit for her crush on the captain. Gwenog Jones is about 15 years her senior and Valmai had clocked Ginny’s crush right away. It was actually what helped her come to the realisation… anyway. None of that is important.</p><p>“Valmai, your team mate?” Luna asks, after a beat. Ginny flushes. She knew she’d been mentioning Valmai more and more in her letters. Hadn’t quite realised she’d been so transparent. Ah well, it figures. She gives a short, sharp nod.</p><p>Luna hums, running fingers through long, tangled hair. Ginny watches the movement with a sudden, sharp pang of longing. Luna’s hair hasn’t been cut since the war. It’s been two years now. Ginny wonders how long it will be left to run wild.</p><p>There’s something in the way Luna moves that is nothing like the women on the team. Everything about Luna is somehow both gentle and delicate. Luna is all soft, full curves and long lines. Yet somehow also firmly grounded. Unlike the sharp angles and raw, brash strength of Ginny and her team mates, who all seem to feel most comfortable up in the air. Ginny can see the soil that has collected under Luna’s fingernails: a visible, visceral connection to earth.</p><p>“Does Harry know?” Luna asks. Ginny prickles at that. “Does he need to?” she asks bluntly. She sounds angry and Luna looks surprised.</p><p>“I thought he was your best friend.” Luna responds, brows furrowed in confusion.</p><p>Ginny stops and stares at Luna for a beat, then laughs. Of course Luna didn’t mean anything by it, of course. That just, that was. Yes. It made perfect sense.</p><p>“Luna,” she starts fondly. “YOU are my best friend. You’re the first person I’ve told, you are the first person I wanted to tell. Because this is important to me and you are important to me. You’re my person.”</p><p>Luna looks positively shocked. Ginny has never seen this expression before and she thinks, suddenly, that she’d like to shock Luna more often. The espresso starts whistling. Luna blinks rapidly, then slowly turns off the stove and takes the pot over to Ginny, who takes it in hand and starts pouring it out.</p><p>“Which is not to say that I won’t tell Harry, because I will. We have plans to catch up over the weekend when I’m in London,” Ginny continues, realising she needs to lay it all bare for Luna in order to be understood. “But this is something that’s been weighing on me. That I’ve been keeping close, keeping safe. And you are my best friend and I want you to know. So that you can, I don’t know. Support me... or something. So I know you don’t think differently of me or… Merlin, I don’t fucking know.”</p><p>Ginny glances up at Luna then, and Luna is looking very serious. Ginny swallows and looks down at the two cups of coffee, wills herself not to grip the kitchen bench and betray her stress. Luna loops a hand around Ginny’s waist, leans down and pulls her in close. She can feel Luna’s long hair tickle the side of her neck, and for a minute she can’t breathe.</p><p>“You’re my best friend also, Ginevra.” Luna’s breath is hot and close near Ginny’s throat. She holds her breath, feeling dizzy at the contact. “I am sorry, I didn’t realise. Because I forget sometimes you are not fearless. And I am so happy you are finding out what love means for you, and you alone.”</p><p>Luna darts away then, cup of coffee in hand. Ginny misses the closeness immediately but brushes the feeling aside. She cannot help but smile as Luna sips at the coffee and, as always, looks positively delighted by the experience.</p><p>“I tend towards preferring the company of women myself.” Luna muses, leaning against the door frame and peering outside, as if there might be something new and fascinating in the garden.</p><p>Ginny starts at this revelation, at the idea of Luna with, well, anyone. The image of the bare skin of Luna’s back flashes through her mind again, and she tamps that thought down quickly before it gets out of hand.</p><p>Luna continues, seemingly unconcerned: “Though of course people of all genders are equally beautiful, really. We are made under the same sun.”</p><p>Ginny’s not quite following, all genders? Made under the same sun? What on earth was Luna ever talking about?</p><p>“All genders?” Ginny asks, feeling like she needs to stick with just one question at a time. Luna nods, still looking out at something in the garden beyond Ginny’s line of sight.</p><p>“Oh yes. All genders. Though, they’re all variations on a theme I suppose. Not that I would want to obfuscate the meaning we derive from grounding our conscious being into whichever material representation feels best, but I digress... I feel like personally I have about three, wouldn’t you say?”</p><p>Ginny is completely stumped at that. “I guess?” she ventures. “Are you… not a woman?”</p><p>Luna looks at her then, one eyebrow raised and face serious.</p><p>“Sometimes Ginevra. I am, sometimes. But is sometimes enough?”</p><p>Ginny feels her heartbeat quicken and a lump come to her throat. She swallows it down, blinking rapidly. It feels like Luna is looking right through her, asking her something that could shift the balance, asking her about something she’s not ready to face.</p><p>She joins Luna at the door, feels small and insignificant next to her overly cerebral friend.</p><p>“Whatever you are made of, Luna, you are always enough.”</p><p>The promise lies between them, warm and heavy. Luna looks down at her and smiles—long, slow and lazy. Ginny settles into her skin and feels a little lighter. Luna takes her hand and she suddenly feels sure that she isn’t alone in this, no matter what is yet to come.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title from Portishead's "Glory Box."</p></blockquote></div></div>
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